A Look Into the Future
by Blueasice24
Summary: A look into the future of ExA; mainly fluff, with any plot being internal rather than external.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey there…. I was in a fluffy mood for awhile, so I wrote this. I may or may not add to this in the future (although it's a good chance I will). Basically, it's an After Book 4 look into the AxE future that we all dream of so much. **

**Hope you like it…..**

Eragon searched for her hand in the quiet darkness.

In the sheets, Arya shifted to make room for him, rolling onto her back. Eragon fell beside her and hooked his arm around her waist. When her back was pressed against his chest, he sighed into her ear and mumbled a sleepy greeting.

"How did it go?" Arya whispered, blinking back sleep and turning in his arms.

Eragon shook his head as if to ward of the waking dreams. "Fortune was with us, for there were no major damages. Preosyck nurses quite the bruise to his head; however, he is not complaining. Rather than the fist-sized rock that pounced him, his head could have been crushed by the boulder headed his way."

"My apologies, for I would have gone –"

"Shh…" Eragon kissed her temple. "Worry not, my heart. Saphira is much grateful for your company on this climatic night."

Arya sighed and burrowed deep into his embrace. His skin was warm, his arms enveloping; his breath rolled through the expanse of her scalp, and his toes caressed her feet. They remained so for a time, until the inquires on Eragon's mind washed his tongue.

"How fares my Saphira?"

Arya nudged her mind against his own, and he welcomed her sweet music within. _Her recovery is swift. Tomorrow, she will fly; she is sure of this._

Eragon chuckled. _Oh, my Queen of the Skies…. And the clutch of eggs?_

_Firen watches them from beneath his wing._

_And Amaryllis? I have yet to see her this day._

Arya's hair brushed under Eragon's chin. _She grows strong yet. Her tenth year is nigh upon us._

Eragon nodded, if only to rub his skin over his mate's silk hair. _Aye. The full moon._

_It is an important year, Eragon. It will be time for her to test the eggs still not hatched, as well as Saphira's new clutch of eggs she deems to be for the riders._

The trail of communication fogged like the huffing of hot breath on a window pane. Eragon's mouth had trailed down the side of Arya's face, and their lips connected. Eragon could not think of a coherent response. He kissed her with tender pressure, reacquiring himself to her unique taste and smooth feel.

Arya held his jaw away. Her brow rose as she expected a comment of sorts in regards to their daughter.

Eragon grunted, and he kissed the inside of her wrist instead.

_Calm yourself, Eragon_, his mate scolded. She pulled back her hand and spoke a short measure of ancient words with dot precision.

Eragon grinned. _I feel in need of you._ But when he tried to take her back, an invisible force pushed him back. He shifted on their bed and attempted again to hold her. The distinct, colorless force held him off. _Gah….._ He rolled onto his back and frowned at the dark ceiling.

"Eragon…" Arya's voice was low and nearly scolding.

He scowled, crossing his arms over the bare plains of his chest. "What would you have me do?"

"I would have that you calm yourself." Propped up on her elbow, Arya removed her shield and moved beside her mate. _I wish for you to hear of our child._

Having her so near wrought an itch on Eragon's skin as he forced his limbs from reaching out to her. He ached for the feel of her in his arms, tight against his chest and secluded from the eyes of the world. _Would you come to me?_

Arya fell so her head rested above his heart, and her arm ran over his stomach. Eragon laid his left arm on the small of her back and scooted her closer.

_Amaryllis is nigh upon the age of a young dragon rider. It is not likely she should dodge the fate both her parents share. _

Eragon settled his head into the mass of pillows. _Aye, I expected as much. _

_ She has yet to quiet at the prospect. She is excited and full of expectations._ Arya sighed. _What if an egg never hatches for her, Eragon? I fear it will crush her._

Eragon shrugged. _I know not. We do our best to consol her. _

_ Eragon… that is hardly a solution for the state of our child._

He sighed, sweeping his hand up and down the length of her back. _We know not the state of the future, Arya. If fate chooses not our daughter to wield the mantle of Dragon Rider, then surely fate will steer her into the path which she should go to._

Arya hummed, and it seemed for a moment that she was distracted. Eragon took the chance to crunch up and cradle her fully in his arms.

_Eragon…._

_Remember, my darling?_ Eragon snuggled his face into the depths of his mate's sensuous hair. _Remember how we began our lives together? _He kissed her neck.

Arya shivered but held strong. _Aye… you were as insistent then as you are now._

But the bite in her thoughts did no more than caress Eragon's passion. He sent her images of their first kiss, the first tokens of love spoken in the quiet night. He brought to her mind the moment Amaryllis was born to them, how her dark hair swept up in a gentle swirl as they bathed her tiny, wriggling body.

_I propose, my dear, that we discuss this more fully in the morning and with Amaryllis at our sides to voice her tender feelings._

Eragon cupped Arya's pink cheek and the curve of her skull, bringing her face level with his. Though she frowned and folded back her lips so as to hide them from her mate, her jewel-like eyes sparkled with soft appreciation and precious emotion. Eragon felt the need to drink such emotion, savor every sip she gave to him.

Over a decade had passed and still Eragon could not fathom the elf maiden behind the mask, the soul that burned so bright, it signed a permanent scar onto his heart.

_Arya, I love you._ He did not move closer.

Arya dipped her chin – touching her forehead to his nose, given how close they were – and suddenly reached out to embrace him.

They fell back onto the bed, though otherwise not moving from their arms. Eragon's head swam with the sweet, natural scent of crushed pine needles. He remembered briefly in the past fifty years – before Arya had come to the island of the Dragon Riders – meditating in the forests and rubbing pine needles with a fierce need between his palms simply to paint such a scent into his flesh.

_I love you, too, Eragon._

Eragon chuckled and tightened their embrace. He turned his head to her face and pressed an angled kiss onto her lips. Arya shifted in his arms and smiled against him.

In the distance of his mind came an affectionate voice. It warmed his heart to hear her voice, his partner-of-heart. But her words bore slight warning, and he had trouble comprehending the message as Arya's fingers tickled his collar bone. _Little one, your hatchling is awake and searching for you. She is down the hall from your room._

Eragon's response was to kiss Arya harder and focus on the viciousbeating of his heart as she swept her hand over it.

And then Arya was not there.

She pushed herself off his chest and patted the flush of her cheeks.

"Arya…" Eragon breathed in a husky tone.

She half grinned. _For all your wisdom, it seems you forget that you should always heed that of which the dragon speaks._

And as Saphira had warned, the knob of the ornate door twisted and jangled against the lock. Arya exhaled a long breath to cool herself and whispered the words to set the door ajar.

Amaryllis blinked in the darkness, swiping thin fingers into her black as night tresses. Her young, trilling voice twittered through the still air like the melody of a flute, and she walked forward with a sleepy gait towards the foot of he parent's bed.

"Mother, I had a bad dream."

Arya crawled toward her and pulled her onto the mattress. "Was it the shadows?"

Amaryllis nodded, biting the knuckle of her forefinger. "And the Night Man; he was laughing at me." Crystal drops pooled on the girl's lower lashes, and when she blinked, two tears dribbled down her round cheeks.

Eragon set his hand on the back of his daughter's shoulder and gave her an intense, warm look. "Did he hurt you, Amaryllis?"

She shook her head. "No. I woke up before that part." Then the child snuggled into her mother's chest and pouted. "I do not want to sleep by myself. I want to sleep with you, Mother."

"Shh…" Arya rubbed Amaryllis's lean back, bunching and then smoothing the blush pink nightgown the girl wore. "You may sleep with us."

"We shall always be here to protect you," said Eragon, and he took his family in his strong arms and laid them beside him.

They slept peacefully in the night.

**A/N: Don't forget to R&R! XD**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys; it's been awhile since I've updated this one. Basically, a major reason why I haven't really been too focused on this short, random piece is that it's set into the future of ExA (obviously) and contains a lot of hints to where my current work Voice of Reason will go. It's not exact, as this looks into the ExA future without changing anything in the IC cycle, while VoR adds two of my own characters that bring about a lot of different things into the IC series (you should check it out...). So that leaves ALITF to little more than drabbles of fluff when I want to write fluff, lol. **

Preosyck's hands trembled with the delicacy of his task. The liquid he was attempting to pour into the boiling bowl of water was so unstable, the slightest unnecessary jolt could upset the chemical balance and cause an explosion. Behind him, the fiery-haired Ismira rolled a knife in her fingers, scrutinizing the elder Rider with a snub of impatience. The bags under her eyes throbbed, and she bit back the urge to jolt Preosyck from his concentration.

A single drop drooled from the clear vial and slopped into the bubbles of the water below. The color instantly changed from pristine to teal, and the mixture gurgled and groaned.

"You must hurry," Ismira said in a hushed snarl. "I utterly refuse to be punished should we be caught for this."

Preosyck ignored her, thinking only of the new human rider, the recent addition to Shur'tugalar Vroengard. She was different from most any creature he had come across – her hair blacker than the pits of caves and cut short and up her jaw line; eyes the color of topaz that sparkled when she smiled. _June_.

Ismira muttered a terse choice word. "I can hear them nearing."

The mixture bubbled as Preosyck handle the curves of the bowl and lifted it above a leaf mold. He gently tipped the liquid the pour it into the mold, creating a fog of steam that hissed loud in the semidarkness.

"… this is the private floor of the Lead Rider, the most personal to me of my home."

"Why are you showing it me, Master?" June had a sweet voice the likes of ripe, precious fruit from the forest of the elves – Preosyck's first home.

The Lead Rider chuckled. "Most everyone asks the same question. 'Tis because you shall know to never come to this floor least it be an emergency. This is the only strange rule I require of all my students. There are… things on this floor that are privy only to me as the Lead Rider to know."

The liquid hardened in the mold the shape of a bejeweled, teal leaf.

"I understand."

Ismira stiffened, careful not to breathe, when it was evident by June's response the Lead Rider had stopped beside the very door they were within. Preosyck was not as cautious, however, taking the teal leaf and poking it from its mold prison.

"Speaking of which…."

The door swung open.

Ismira hid behind the wood of the door, allowing a smug smirk to pull at her lips as Preosyck froze in the midst of his task.

The Lead Rider wore a similar smirk, addressing June. "Allow this to be a reminder to you that I may not see all, but I most certainly hear all."

* * *

The laugh that spilled from Arya's lips as Eragon recounted the events of that day warmed his heart. To him, she was the most beautiful of sights when she smiled in mirth. The pleasing sound echoed in the vast space of the dinning hall where Eragon and his family resided after their morning breakfast. It was a tall hall and wide enough for over one hundred students to eat together with plenty elbow room. The walls were raised high by the spiral columns that resembled the reach of trees to the sky, and they arched over glass windows near fifty feet high. The pattern continued consecutively until it reached the most grandeur section of the hall – where the Lead Rider breakfasted this morning. His family sat in a circular bow and their chairs pressed against one another. Saphira and Firnen rested in the cool early light in the shade of the great mountain, leaning against one another as they listened in and commented .

_And what of me? Am I a sheep herder?_ Saphira questioned, feigning offense and hurt.

_Nay, you are the Queen of the Skies._

Saphira _humph_ed through their mental connection.

Amaryllis giggled from her spot between her parents. Her choke-hold tightened around a slim, gleaming pink neck, and the creature in her arms squirmed with delight. "I like June. She gave Dafina the prettiest stone. It's pink!"

The dragon scoffed, puffing gray smoke from her snout.

Eragon placed his hand on his daughter's warm head. "She will do fine here, and, dare I say it, keep Preosyck in his place."

Arya chuckled. "Whatever happened to the leaf stone he made for her?"

"The jewel?" His earthen eyes swung up to met hers, amusement pooled in deep masses. "Preosyck tucked it in a pocket inside his tunic when he thought my attentions were otherwise engaged. But I let him keep it. He reminded me of someone…." Eragon hoped his mate did not miss the sober trail in his words, and, to his great delight, Arya quickly caught on.

She smacked his head. "Eragon, I would like to think that by now you have learned many things from you past."

He shrugged, still grinning despite the dull ache in his temple. "I have but that has little effect on what Preosyck has _yet_ to learn for himself."

Amaryllis squirmed from the lack of attention, her tiny fingers tracing random patterns on the soft, glistening scales of her dragon Dafina. "Father, I want to go flying!"

Eragon pulled his daughter into his lap. Dafina then took it upon herself to curl onto Amaryllis's lap. In the sharp daylight that streamed from the wall-tall windows, the girl's hair appeared the color of hard, shiny onyx.

"Father, please may I go flying?" She blinked wide, granite eyes at Eragon.

But, to her mighty displeasure, her father's grin faltered at an angle. "I wish for you with all my heart to go flying with Dafina, but... it may not be possible. At least, not for many years."

The child looked down, understanding what her father hinted to. She did not like to speak of it, but it saddened her like the coming of winter. "Alright," she said with a dejected sigh. Dafina curled her tail around the girl's waist and squeezed with an affectionate nuzzle to the torso.

_I still love you_, Amaryllis thought to the coral pink dragon. _No matter if you can fly or not._

Arya winced at her child's sad frown and reached out to pet her soft hair. "My darling, all will be well. Remember that your father and I have the upmost prestigious access to all the knowledge of the world. If there is any way to cure Dafina, we shall find it and implement it." She brought up the white face and kissed her brow. "We love her, too."

Saphira tucked Eragon's conscious close to hers so that her words may be shielded from the others. _I fear for the mentalities of both our hatchlings, little one. Arya is quick to build their hopes and dreams. _

_ Arya knows what she is doing_. Eragon thought of Islanzadí and the relationship procured between mother and daughter. He knew to the extent at how practical and serious Arya was raised.

_Aye, she has had a grim childhood, Eragon. But perhaps she fears that the same may happen with her and her own daughter and so ensues in the opposite of tactics to prevent it. _

Eragon mulled over Saphira's observations with a dry tongue. _What do you mean to say, Saphira?_

_ Oh calm yourself. I only mean to say that I worry what will happen should we never make due on Arya's promise. It will crush them, Eragon. _

_Arya means well,_ Eragon stated.

_Meaning well does not negate the impending consequences. _

Eragon sighed. _Very well then, Saphira. I shall speak to Arya tonight on it. _

Saphira gave his conscious a grateful brush. _Fírnen wishes to speak with me as well. We can be reached at the southern beach._ And with that, she and her emerald mate were off.

Arya had drawn Amaryllis into her embrace, murmuring comforting words and brushing back the onyx tresses that hung heavy over the girl's shoulders. Eragon lifted a strong hand and began rubbing soft circles onto Amaryllis's back. Dafina squeaked under her rider's arm, and the spurt noise stilled blood.

Eragon grimaced as he thought over Saphira's words. Was there truly a chance Dafina would remain unable to fly all her life? It was unnatural for a dragon _not_ to fly. Eragon feared it would end with Dafina dying a very early death – and with her, his only daughter. His Amaryllis.

He smiled at the memory that presented itself. The day she was born, even then she seemed to wield the ability to soothe aching hearts and fill empty gorges….

* * *

_Eragon paced the sapphire rug that lay flat across the floor of his study. He had been doing so for hours – maybe days. All he knew for sure was he had a point. He was not wrong, and he had to hold his ground. It ate at him to do so, but it was necessary. _

This is ridiculous, Eragon. Go and apologize! Deal with this another time when Arya is not blooming with a full child,_ Saphira scolded. _

Saphira… I cannot! _Eragon growled to himself. _

I hate seeing you like this_._

_ Eragon was torn in two. Two parts of himself stood nose-to-nose with beat red cheeks and wet frolics of muddy hair. One said he was full in the right – Arya should not speak to him in such a manner. But the other pointed out she was stressed and – as Saphira reminded him – full with child. _His_ child. Pregnancy did things to women, whether human or not. _

Saphira, please understand,_ Eragon pleaded, desperate to separate the sparring opposites within him. _How can it be this way? I wish only to protect, give her the best I am. And she becomes offended that I mean her ill!

_ It irked him. It hurt him to his core that Arya found offense still in his need to coddle her. But Eragon never meant to undermine her strength or her pride –he knew better than most her immense strength, speed, and resilience – and yet she accused him of such. His ego did not like it, could not take it. They had parted six hours ago in heated rage: Eragon to his study and Arya to the future nursery of their unborn babe._

Oh, little one…._ Saphira sighed. _Forcing her to see your side of things will be the opposite of helpful.

Will it? Will it truly?_ He winced inwardly at the bite in his tone._

Aye, for the two of you will clash as day and night, fire and ice. And neither of you shall be left standing.

_ And then the night jumped into high speed. Blödhgarm pounded on the barriers of the Lead Rider's mind, shouting with a mix of euphoria and nerves, _The baby! Arya is in labor with the baby!

_ Eragon's mind went blank, and his inner struggles were temporarily forgotten. He had raced to the healer's room where the elves had laid Arya on a mattress. Sweat was quick to mat her pale face, and she breathed with great effort – like the effort of a dying warrior. _

_ For a moment, Eragon debated whether he should go to her side. Remembering their heavy dispute, he wondered if Arya even wanted him by her side. Would she leave after she birthed the babe? Would she take from him everything over pride and practicalities? _

_ But then she moaned his name, and her fingers fluttered and waved as if searching for him. It was all the coaxing he needed to fall beside her and grip her tender hand. _

_ "Eragon…."_

_ "Arya, I am here with you," he said. "I am always with you." He hoped she believed it. _

_ A white-haired elf by the name of Celeste explained the nature of Arya's predicament. "Elves and humans have relatively the same birthing experiences, but despite any extra strength of the elf, the void takes just as easy a hold on them as they do human women."_

_ Eragon's heart splintered. Was this the way the elf woman had thought of to hint that Arya may not make it through this? Would their child ever take their first breath? _

_ "It is amazing the experience the female gender endures through, gripping the edge between the living and the dead for hours, perhaps even days at a time," Celeste continued. _

_ "But Arya is strong, and she will pull through this," Eragon insisted. He squeezed his mate's hand and touched her forehead. It was the heat of a boiling cauldron. A pair of fair hands set a clean cloth into his fingers, and he began to dry the sweat off her skin. _

_ Arya remained aloof, almost as if on another plane of existence, for many hours. The elves worked with quick speed in prepping the arrival of the baby. Eragon felt helpless; his heart retched the overflow of guilt, resentment, and ache that sickened his hollow stomach. _

I love you, Arya. Please forgive me. Come back to me.

_It reached a climax – to the point every fine hair on Blödgharm's body stood out like needles. Arya began to scream and shake. Eragon was pushed away. His heart did not beat until the soft wail of a new born pierced through the fear and melted the pain. Celeste held in her arms a bloodied babe and announced to the room it was a girl. _

_ Amaryllis was born. _

* * *

A smooth hand touched Eragon's cheek, bringing the present world back to him. He smelled pine needles thick with a sweet petal fragrance and took a deep, satisfied breath.

"Eragon, are you alright?" Arya inquired

He offered her a half-smile. "Aye, I am well."

Amaryllis peeked a look at her father. "Does Father wish for me to hug him, too?"

Eragon chuckled and opened his arms. "Aye, my beautiful Amaryllis."

**A/N: R&R! What did you like; what didn't you like? What do you think of Amaryllis and Dafina - not to mention the fact the Dafina is basically handicapped (I know I didn't go into much detail in this chapter, but it'll be more explored next chapter). **

**Love you guys!**


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